Search found 2250 matches

by clawgrip
05 Jun 2019 15:36
Forum: Linguistics & Natlangs
Topic: (L&N) Q&A Thread - Quick questions go here [2010-2019]
Replies: 7086
Views: 1318034

Re: (L&N) Q&A Thread - Quick questions go here

A question about Japanese, since this has been bothering me ever since I posted a suggestion for sound changes in LinguistCat's "Cat Japanese" conlang thread using an example of this (possibly incorrect?) construction. In constructions like X的なY , when is the な after the 的 necessary, and ...
by clawgrip
19 Oct 2018 00:51
Forum: Linguistics & Natlangs
Topic: False friends and other unfortunate coincidences
Replies: 881
Views: 275464

Re: False friends and other unfortunate coincidences

:jpn: 顔 kao face :eng: cow Like most, if not all, Japanee/English pairings in this topic, this is based on an (incorrect) English diphthongization of Japanese vowels. 顔 Kao should be pronounced [kä.o̞]. In a similar vein, there is an online business supplies/other things store we use frequently at ...
by clawgrip
19 Oct 2018 00:22
Forum: Linguistics & Natlangs
Topic: Script preference
Replies: 18
Views: 13077

Re: Script preference

That would likely be the case. If all personal endings were distinct, like Spanish, they would probably be indicated, but with only the s, it's a fully predictable inflection (as long as the plurality of the subject is indicated. And because of the importance of plurality in English, I suspect that ...
by clawgrip
18 Oct 2018 03:45
Forum: Linguistics & Natlangs
Topic: Script preference
Replies: 18
Views: 13077

Re: Script preference

Hanzi alone may not work well for synthetic languages, but they can work on synthetic languages with a set of additional purely-phonemic symbols. Two examples are Japanese and pre-1950 Korean. Outside of Chinese, there are synthetic languages using a logographic writing system, such as Sumerian(cun...
by clawgrip
18 Oct 2018 01:59
Forum: Linguistics & Natlangs
Topic: A Curious Kind of English
Replies: 7
Views: 7517

Re: A Curious Kind of English

So why shouldnt there be people out there spelling the way they like? Especially in a time where the spelling wasnt as universal as it is now. Even if there are some words with 2 or more variant spellings nowadays, too. Well, the OP was not questioning whether or not the author of the text should b...
by clawgrip
21 Aug 2018 02:38
Forum: Linguistics & Natlangs
Topic: (L&N) Q&A Thread - Quick questions go here [2010-2019]
Replies: 7086
Views: 1318034

Re: (L&N) Q&A Thread - Quick questions go here

Or you could more directly say something like "I'm worried that you may already have this, but..."
by clawgrip
20 Aug 2018 09:02
Forum: Linguistics & Natlangs
Topic: (L&N) Q&A Thread - Quick questions go here [2010-2019]
Replies: 7086
Views: 1318034

Re: (L&N) Q&A Thread - Quick questions go here

There is no translation of hope that is used in the way it is in English, and to attempt to translate it directly would be forcing English patterns of speech on Japanese. You could say something like "I apologize if you already have this." Though to be honest, it seems like an odd sentimen...
by clawgrip
08 Aug 2018 03:10
Forum: Conlangs
Topic: (Conlangs) Q&A Thread - Quick questions go here [2010-2020]
Replies: 11605
Views: 2044254

Re: (Conlangs) Q&A Thread - Quick questions go here

Yes, exactly. The Japanese verb is also used for things being located somewhere. 私は、車があります。 Watashi wa, kuruma ga arimasu. 1-TOP car NOM exist However, as k1234567890y mentioned, this can also be said using the hold verb: 私は、車を持っています。 Watashi wa, kuruma o motte imasu. 1-TOP car ACC hold-ADV be.
by clawgrip
07 Aug 2018 00:42
Forum: Conlangs
Topic: (Conlangs) Q&A Thread - Quick questions go here [2010-2020]
Replies: 11605
Views: 2044254

Re: (Conlangs) Q&A Thread - Quick questions go here

In languages like Japanese and Manchu, you traditionally say something like "there is a car at Nachtuil" instead of "Nachtuil has a car" to indicate the meaning "Nachtuil has a car"...although Japanese seems to be developing a verb for "to have". You can look...
by clawgrip
07 Aug 2018 00:33
Forum: Conlangs
Topic: europidjin? euroblabla? europex?
Replies: 109
Views: 65736

Re: europidjin? euroblabla? europex?

Keenir2 wrote: 07 Aug 2018 00:14 a language without homophones? interesting. what are the minimum pairs like, to avoid such confusion?
That's not what was said. There are no homographs that aren't also homophones, not no homophones at all.
by clawgrip
05 Aug 2018 13:43
Forum: Linguistics & Natlangs
Topic: English Orthography Reform
Replies: 402
Views: 197218

Re: How deranged is the English spelling system?

By the definition of dictionaries like Merriam-Webster, "control by one power over a dependent area or people", the japanese occupation of half Asia and Pacific was colonialism too. But usually when people talk about colonialism in the west, they mean occupying a country which doesnt have...
by clawgrip
04 Aug 2018 04:47
Forum: Conlangs
Topic: Caber Logograms
Replies: 164
Views: 48509

Re: Caber Logograms

Yeah, the more characters you design, the easier it gets, because you have more components to work with.
by clawgrip
03 Aug 2018 10:58
Forum: Linguistics & Natlangs
Topic: English Orthography Reform
Replies: 402
Views: 197218

Re: How deranged is the English spelling system?

Zé do Rock wrote: 03 Aug 2018 07:37
Keenir wrote: 01 Aug 2018 23:46 wait, ... Japan [doesn't] count as a colonial power?
I guess this is a matter of definition
Ask Korea if it's a matter of definition. Ask China. Ask Indonesia. Ask Vietnam. Ask Cambodia. Ask Thailand. Ask Myanmar. Ask Laos. Ask Malaysia. Ask Philippines. Ask Manchukuo...wait, don't ask them.
by clawgrip
02 Aug 2018 11:55
Forum: Conlangs
Topic: Caber Logograms
Replies: 164
Views: 48509

Re: Caber Logograms

How's Caber doing, these days? Any updates? New glyphs?
by clawgrip
02 Aug 2018 10:21
Forum: Linguistics & Natlangs
Topic: Today I learned ...
Replies: 120
Views: 100016

Re: Today I learned ...

They're nearly the same thing, i.e. a preexisting word that gets turned into an acronym later on. The difference between these two is that the Ford acronym describes Ford itself, while the AEGIS acronym does not actually describe Zeus's shield. Not sure which counts as an actual backronym. Then ther...
by clawgrip
02 Aug 2018 08:45
Forum: Conlangs
Topic: europidjin? euroblabla? europex?
Replies: 109
Views: 65736

Re: europidjin? euroblabla? europex?

Ah, if you already wrote it there I can just take a look. Seems like this would fit better in that thread anyway.
by clawgrip
02 Aug 2018 06:55
Forum: Conlangs
Topic: europidjin? euroblabla? europex?
Replies: 109
Views: 65736

Re: europidjin? euroblabla? europex?

I'm sure it's been discussed endlessly, but a major sticking point that I mentioned but you failed to reply to is that any move toward a phonetic spelling necessarily begins to remove English's relative region-neutrality. Should caught and cot be merged? Should sword and sawed be merged? How do you ...
by clawgrip
31 Jul 2018 02:24
Forum: Conlangs
Topic: europidjin? euroblabla? europex?
Replies: 109
Views: 65736

Re: europidjin? euroblabla? europex?

If someone suggested that we spell 'that' for the demonstrative, 'thatt' for the relative pronoun and 'dhat' for the conjunction, you'd probably say, "Are you crazy? Everybody understands those 'thats', this certainly doesnt need a change!" Right, we agree that increasing homonyms seems u...
by clawgrip
27 Jul 2018 06:37
Forum: Conlangs
Topic: (Conlangs) Q&A Thread - Quick questions go here [2010-2020]
Replies: 11605
Views: 2044254

Re: (Conlangs) Q&A Thread - Quick questions go here

Hello, I'm currently brainstorming on the grammar of a new conlang I'm working on. This conlang is Nom-Acc with a marker on the subject, but I was thinking the following: What if the subject marker would also tell you the tense? F.e. "He[1SG, +PAST] walk". My question is: would this make ...
by clawgrip
25 Jul 2018 01:51
Forum: Linguistics & Natlangs
Topic: Surprising cognates
Replies: 153
Views: 106530

Re: Surprising cognates

They are not false cognates; according to sangi39's post, they are indeed cognates, from Proto-Celtic *karros . They're surprising cognates in the sense that the direction of borrowing is the opposite of what would be expected, i.e. it was borrowed from Celtic to English rather than English to Welsh...